Store stool or seat.



W. G. WINANS. STORE STOOL 0R SEAT. APPLIUATIQN FILED D110. 20, 1909.

Patented July 12, 1910.

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IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEY G. WINANS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO SPOKANE AUTOMATIC SEATCOMPANY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

STORE STOOL OR SEAT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY Gr. WINANS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store Stoolsor Seats; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in store stools or seats, andparticularly to the store seats which are employed behind counters forthe use of the salespeople.

Heretofore the store seats most commonly employed have been ordinaryfour-legged stools which occupy considerable space, and inasmuch as theyare removable and can be freely moved about, they are frequently crowdedtogether and congest the aisle and provide obstructions over which thesalespeople may stumble, or else the store seats generally employed arepermanently fastened to the fixtures and swing or fold upwardly againstthe fixtures or shelves containing the merchandise. The seats of thelatter type whether swung upward by hand or automatically areobjectionable for the reason that they are more or less unsightly, theyoccupy much needed space against the shelving, and are a source ofinconvenience when it is desired to remove merchandise from the shelvesbehind the seats or to again return the merchandise to the shelves, asit is always necessary to swing the seats downward to a horizontalposition before such merchandise can be removed from the shelves oragain replaced upon the shelves. Not only are such seats inconvenient,but as they occupy considerable aisle space the salespeople,particularly saleswomen, are frequently injured by bumping against thesame or have their clothes torn and worn when passing along the aisle.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a store seatwhich is free of the objectionable features above stated and when not inuse or unoccupied swings to a position such that it is normally out ofthe way of the salespeople and leaves the aisle free and unobstructed,and at the same time does not interfere with the removal of the mer-Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 20, 1909.

Serial No. 534,090.

chandise from the shelving or its restoration to the shelving.

In carrying out my invention I provide a store seat or stool which isattached to the fixtures behind the counter, and is supported in amanner such that it may swing horizontally underneath the shelving, andin the preferred embodiment of my invention I provide a spring which isarranged to automatically swing the seat rearwardly underneath theshelving as soon as the occupant rises from the seat.

The invention may be further summarized as consisting in certain noveldetails of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts whichwill be described in the specification and set forth in the appendedclaims.

For an understanding of my invention reference is had to theaccompanying sheet of drawings wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation ofa section of store fixtures including the shelving, two store seatsbeing shown, one in normal position beneath the shelving and one swungoutward in position for use. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional viewsubstantially along the line 22, of Fig. 1, looking in the directionindicated by the arrow, the seats having the same relative arrangementas in Fig. 1. Fig.

.3 is an enlarged front view of one of the seats and an adjacent portionof the fixtures,

the seat being in its normal position beneath the shelving. Fig. 4: isan enlarged horizontal sectional view substantially along the line l4l,Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 5 is aside sectional view slightly enlarged substantially along the line 5-5,Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

The store fixtures which are arranged behind the counter (not shown) maybe of any suitable construction, but as here shown consist of shelves 10and uprights 11 which sup port the shelves. The store seats, which, asstated before, are supported on the fixtures, each includes a seatportion or seat proper 12 which is supported bya shaft or arm 13 havinga horizontal portion 14: which extends underneath the seat 12 and issecured thereto in any suitable manner such as by a strap 15. The arm 13is also provided with a vertlcal portion 16 which is received with-Patented July 12, 1910.

tally outward in front of the upright 11 to which the seat is attached.

Formed integral with the bracket 18 and arranged at the rear of thesocket 17 and preferably slightly above the latter is a second verticalsocket 20 which receives loosely a rod 21 having a vertical portion 22which passes through the socket 18 and extends downward below thelatter. This rod is also provided with an angular offset portion 23which projects upwardly above the arm 13, and with a portion 24 whichextends underneath the seat and passes through a staple 25 secured tothe lower side of the seat in a manner such that the portion 24 mayslide freely through the staple. The seat is preferably swung rearwardlyunder the shelving 10 when the occupant rises from the seat, by means ofa coil spring 26 which surrounds the lower vertical portion 22 of therod 21 and has one of its ends which is shown at 26 engaging theadjacent upright 11 of the fixtures, while its other end which is shownat 27 engages and is preferably hooked over the portion 24 of the rodadjacent the angular offset portion 23. This spring is so arranged thatwhen the seat is swung outward, increased tension is placed on thespring and when the seat is released, the spring by its pressure on therod 21 will swing the seat beneath the shelvmg.

It will be seen that inasmuch as the angular offset portion 23 of therod 21 projects upwardly above the arm 13 and since the arm 13 and therod 21 have different axes of movement this angular portion 23 will beengaged by the arm 13 when the seat is swung outward a certain distanceand therefore the angular portion 23 will act as a stop to limit theswinging movement of the seat and there will be no danger of the seat orbracket 16 being torn from the fixtures. Also the angular offset portion23 forms a shoulder which is engaged by the end 27 of the spring. Thisarrangement of the spring about the rod 21 as here shown has a furtheradvantage in that the lower vertical portion of the rod 21 acts as asupport for the spring. It will be seen also that the seat may bereadily swung outward in front of the shelving and when the occupantrises from the seat, the latter will automatically swing underneath theshelving so that it cannot obstruct the aisle and form an obstacleagainst which salespeople may stumble. It will be seen also that theseat, when not in use, does not conceal any of the merchandise which issupported on the shelving or interfere in any way with the removal orrestoration of the merchandise. Furthermore the seat is durable, strongand will not easily get out of order.

WVhat I claim is,-

1. The combination witha store-fixture of a bracket secured to thefixture, an arm rotatably supported on said bracket, a seat mounted onsaid arm, a rod having a portion which is pivotally connected to saidbracket and a portion which loosely engages the seat and a springmounted on said bracket and having a portion thereof engaging said rod.

2. The combination with a store fixture of a bracket secured to thefixture, an arm rotatably supported on said bracket so as to swing in ahorizontal plane, a seat mounted on said arm, a rod having a portionwhich is pivotally connected to said bracket and a portion which looselyengages the seat and a spring mounted on said bracket and having an endengaging said rod.

3. The combination with a store fixture of a bracket secured to thefixture and provided with a vertical socket, a horizontally arranged armhaving a portion which is loosely received in said socket, a seatmounted on said arm, a rod having a portion which is pivotally connectedto said bracket and a portion which loosely engages the seat and a coilspring mounted on said bracket and having an end engaging said rod.

4. The combination with a store fixture of a bracket secured to thefixture, said bracket having two vertical sockets, an arm having aportion which is loosely received in one of said sockets, a seat mountedon the free end of said arm, a rod having a portion which is looselyreceived in the other of said sockets on said bracket and having aportion which loosely engages the seat and a coil spring surrounding theportion of said rod which extends through the socket of said bracket.

5. The combination with a store fixture comprising uprights and shelvingsupported thereby, of a bracket secured to the fixture and having a pairof vertical sockets, an arm having a portion which is loosely receivedin one of said sockets, a seat mounted on the free end of said arm, arod having a portion which is loosely received in the other of saidsockets on said bracket and having a portion which loosely engages theseat, said rod having an ofiset portion which extends upwardly abovesaid arm and is engaged by the latter to limit the swinging movement ofIn testimony whereof, I sign the forethe seat and a coil springsurrounding the going specification, in the presence of two verticalportion of said rod and having one witnesses. end acting upon theupright and the other WESLEY G. WINANS.

5 end upon the rod adjacent to the oifset por- Witnesses:

tion, said spring serving to swing the seat VIoToR C. LYNCH, rearwardlyunderneath the shelving. N. L. MCDONNELL.

